Bonum Certa Men Certa

Fake 'Studies' for Vista 8 Grooming and Yet More IDC/IDG Pay-to-Say/Publication Collusion (Yes, Again)

Biased data, wrong conclusions, erroneous business model

Arguing with IDG



Summary: A look at some spin-doctoring which favours Microsoft, arriving, as always, from Microsoft partners

The Economist is having a field day as it tackles Microsoft spin. Every now and then we see IDG publishing lies (for sale) from Microsoft or its proxy the Business Software Alliance (BSA). It's part of the business model. IDC is part of IDG after all. Well, as our reader who showed this to us correctly points out, IDC 'analysts' (marketers) refrain from saying something negative about Vista 8 in the latest output they put forth. Here is IDG pushing its own lies (from IDC), essentially referring to itself as a third person by stating: "After the steep losses in the disastrous first quarter, IDC now predicts PC shipments to drop a whopping 7.8 percent in 2013—nearly twice the rate of 2012's 4 percent decline, which already had the industry in a tizzy. Dell's on the block, Lenovo's pushing into smartphones despite its computing wins, and HP's first quarter PC revenues dropped a whopping 20 percent."



But why?

“PC industry bleeding to explode into full-blown hemorrhaging in 2013, says IDC”
      --IDG (parent company of IDC)
They didn't state the obvious. It's probably self-censorship. Microsoft is a prominent business partner and client. As this report from Taiwan says: "Notebook vendors will wait till July before ramping up their orders in preparation for the back-to-school demand, a delay of about 60 days as compared to the usual practice in previous years, probably because the vendors are conservative about market demand or are waiting for sufficient supply of touch panels, according to sources with the Taiwan-based supply chain." [via]

Here is some blog and tabloid (ZDNet) coverage about the IDC output, which is basically more of the usual spin. Speaking of spin, Fernando Cassia sarcastically says that "Microsoft does no wrong!"

“IDC now predicts PC shipments to drop...”
      --IDG (parent company of IDC)
He cites Microsoft talking points regarding some company called Soluto manufacturing some 'surveys' to promote Vista 8. Typical booster, Ed Bott (ad bot, here is his latest ad), calls me "sack of shit", showing he is no exception to Microsoft's foul-mouthed culture. They are basically all trying to use Vista 7 as a brand to embellish Vista 8. It is the latest pattern of spin from Microsoft MVPs like Rod Trent, who used to shill for the company in Digg. Here is an example of this same spin.

Sadly, but not surprisingly, Mark Shuttleworth is sucking up to Microsoft again, trying to defend Vista 8. Is this why he put a Microsoft interface guy in charge of Ubuntu? Does he not see the obvious backlash against Vista 8? I have been hearing from journalists who say they no longer cover Ubuntu because of the direction it has taken. ⬆

Recent Techrights' Posts

Birss Replaces Vos in UK's High Court, LLM Slop Plagiarism a Contentious Issue
Only days ago we mentioned Sir Geoffrey Vos in relation to lobbying for LLM slop
Despite the Mass Layoffs Microsoft's Debt Soared by 5.1 Billion Dollars in Just 3 Months
This is why Microsoft asks 60,000 workers to leave
What Linus Torvalds Told Me Two Decades Ago
It seems like he was eager to distinguish himself from the "elders" of FSF [...] For anything "revolutionary" to happen in the sciences one must accept the risk of living in poverty like Tesla (the person, not the right-wing fanatics) and Torvalds isn't too old to "cause a stir"
 
Intercontinental Brigading - Part XXIV - It's an Inherently American Issue and American Elections Are at Risk From Restricted ('Secure') Boot and LLM Chatbots (Disinformation at Scale)
We'll focus a lot on US elections in the coming days
"Early Retirement" (Silent Layoffs) for Everybody Except the Executives
Some will stick around even past 70
Gemini Links 30/10/2026: Solar MiniBBS, Kubernetes With FreeBSD, "Sysadmin Day"
Links for the day
Microsoft Layoffs Far Worse Than the Media Tells (Microsoft Spin Laundered as "Reporting")
Some people are made to "retire" and sign an NDA to make it seem like a happy ending and mostly consensual retreat
Links 30/10/2026: Google Crashes on Slop Disappointment and GAFAM's "Data Center Blitz Is Burning Through Cash and Scaring Wall St."
Links for the day
Fake 'Articles' in The Register MS Concerning "AI"
We don't suppose The Register MS will be around for much longer after this bubble pops
GNU/Linux as a Free Software Platform is More GNU (and GPL) Than Linux
GNU predates Linux by nearly a decades and it was born to tackle injustices
Who Or What Are Security Professionals/Experts?
Companies like GAFAM are willing to tolerate cheaters because those companies themselves are cheats
Intercontinental Brigading - Part XXIII - What Garrett Did Puts Elections at Risk (Also in His Own Country, Where a Dictator Trusts Only Machines That 'Support' Him)
UEFI 'security' is only as trustworthy as its ferocious boosters
Gemini Links 30/10/2026: RIP Patrick Stewart and Amp Integration
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, October 29, 2026
IRC logs for Thursday, October 29, 2026
The Metric is Not the Mission
"Passing Thoughts" by Andy
More Than 5 Years Have Passed Since Official Release of Vista 11 and in the US It's Measured as Only 3 Times Bigger Than GNU/Linux on the Desktop/Laptop
If mobile is culled from the statistics, then GNU/Linux is somewhere near 11%
It's About Intention, Not Attrition, at Microsoft
Microsoft does in fact aim to push many workers off the cliff
The Next 50 Years of Emacs (and GNU)
GNU's founder made the widely used editor, GNU Emacs
Links 29/10/2026: Microsoft-Connected and Funded Openwashing at FOSDEM, Tragedy in Spain
Links for the day
Gemini Links 29/10/2026: London, Worcestershire, and Robot Exclusion Protocol
Links for the day
The Register MS is Publishing Spam About "AI" for HP, Sponsored by HP, Even Composed by HP
Or "HPE" as they choose to call themselves (with the hype of "enterprise")
Links 29/10/2026: Anthropic Still Sued Over Copyright Infringement (Plagiarism Isn't "Training"), Elon Musk Openly Admits He Helps Putin Crush Ukraine
Links for the day
Intercontinental Brigading - Part XXI - Techrights Was Right, So Why Was It Punished by Lawfare While the Culprits Walk Away Scot-free?
Techrights did a public service, cautioning about real risks to the public, but the people who caused the problems walk away scot-free
Intercontinental Brigading - Part XXII - Still "Radio Silence" From "Restricted Boot" Perpetrators (After Techrights Proven Right Again)
Maybe when they sober up they'll say something...
'Secure' Boot Is Not Secure, Here Are News Reports About the Latest Evidence
We'll be linking to this page in the future as evidence of the catastrophe
No, Microsoft Isn't Doing Well (It Has Struggled for a Long Time)
Microsoft isn't growing, the shares are a Ponzi scheme of sorts
What Makes Techrights a Community
Communities can accomplish a lot. They cannot be "bought" and "sold", they're based on trust, mutual respect, and shared ideology.
Linux Links 29/10/2026: Refractor Stargazing and Making Better Use of RAM in Linux
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, October 28, 2026
IRC logs for Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Project Glasswing and PHP2Shell vulnerability
by Akira Urushibata
Turning Point for the Slop Industrialists
First, a lot of people who work on "hey hi" at Microsoft (no matter the buzzword or brand, e.g. "copilot") are impacted
Links 28/10/2026: Slop Bubble Pops in China, Rocky Linux Creator Becomes Slopper, Openwashing by the Slop Pushers Explained
Links for the day
Gemini Links 28/10/2026: Slop Plagiarism Considered a "Weapon", "Completely restored HTML interface to the Orbital Fox mailing list"
Links for the day
The Corrupted Corporate Media is Spinning Massive Microsoft Layoffs as "Investment in AI" Instead of Evidence That "AI" Nonsense is Catastrophic
Microsoft asking 30% of its staff to leave is a sign of bubble
Links 28/10/2026: "Rest of World Faces Prospect of Shutting Down" and Robert Reich Says "Musk Wants Me Imprisoned"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 28/10/2026: Cold Outside Again and Maths
Links for the day
Intercontinental Brigading - Part XX - Restricted and Moot, or How 'Secure Boot' Turns Out to be a Disaster (Again) This Week
It already has a history of breaking/bricking servers
100 Years of IBM Racism
GAFAM is not about "diversity" or "equity" or whatever. It's a greedy, money-making venture, even if they appoint CEOs of colour
Racism at Microsoft
Microsoft tribalism has an element to it aside from corporate allegiance
Intercontinental Brigading - Part IX - Literature About Malignant Narcissists in America Silencing the Press
There's a price for criticising abuses
Compelling Examiners at the European Patent Office to Fake "Growth" (in Patent Monopolies) Using Slop and Sloppy Processes
The agenda of management is likely illegal and the methods likewise
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, October 27, 2026
IRC logs for Tuesday, October 27, 2026